Do you need financial assistance for overdue bills, repairs, or other critical family needs? If you are active duty, deployed, a veteran, or are a wounded, ill or injured service member -- and meet our criteria -- you may be eligible for assistance from Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance (CFA) program.

Critical Financial Assistance to the families of deployed and injured service members is the core of Operation Homefront’s mission. Since 2002, we have helped nearly 15,000 military families fulfilling more than 37,000 unique requests for assistance. In 2016, 88% of the families helped by this program agreed or strongly agreed that our support helped them feel strong, stable, and secure.

Please read this information carefully so that you understand the process for applications, review and notification.

Additionally, PLEASE NOTE SPECIFIC ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA for non-housing repair related requests. The eligibility requirements for housing repair related requests only has the additional requirement for an Honorable or General Discharge (Under Honorable Conditions).

APPLICATION PERIOD:

Our system follows a three-step process each month for applicants. There is a 10-day Application and Initial Processing Period, a 10-day Processing and Review Period, and a 10-day Evaluation/Notification period.

Application and Initial Processing Period (1st through the 10th of each month):

This 10-day application period for assistance grants is open to those who feel they are eligible for assistance and wish to apply.

Applicants can apply online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, during this 10-day period.

The application period will close at 11:59pm on the 10th day of the month.

Processing and Review Period (1st through the 20th of each month)

Caseworkers will process, analyze, and begin to prioritize requests.

No applications will be accepted after the 11th day of the month.

Evaluation/Notifications (21st through the 30th of each month)

Final funding decisions are made.

Caseworkers will notify clients about the status of their application and begin to process payments for those who will receive assistance and notify those who will not receive assistance.

The application process open again on the 1st day of the following month. Families who do not receive assistance in one month and continue to experience financial challenges may re-apply in subsequent months.

Why do you have this process for reviewing applications?

We understand there is a real sense of urgency behind every request we receive. To ensure we can process applications quickly, we have established an application window that will run from the 1st through the 10th of each month. We stop accepting applications on the 10th day of each month at midnight Central Time.

Our system allows our caseworkers to address the most critical cases and make decisions in a timely fashion.

How are applications evaluated?

All eligible applications for Critical Financial Assistance are evaluated by Operation Homefront’s professional caseworkers. Cases are prioritized based on the most critical need, where our short-term assistance can help put military families on the path to long-term financial stability. Final decisions on grants each month are made by supervising staff, who are professional case workers.

What if I am turned down?

You are invited to reassess your needs and apply again on the 1st day of the following month. For example, if you are notified that you were not selected in September, you may apply again in the October 1st-10th application period.

What information do I need to provide?

To help expedite your request for assistance, you can do the following:

Please read the eligibility criteria carefully for each category.

If you meet the criteria and decide to apply, please review the documents required for your category.

Please gather the required documents for our caseworkers.

Be sure to apply during the 10-day application period.

Why do you need this information?

Our Critical Financial Assistance program is for documented needs. Do not complete the application process unless you are able to provide required documentation, can show that your financial resources are insufficient to meet current expenses, and that those expenses are already due or past due.

OH is unable to provide financial assistance towards expenses that are not yet due or delinquent.

I have a question not addressed here.

If you are unsure if you qualify for assistance or have questions about the application, please call 877-264-3968 (toll free). If you are not eligible for OH services, we can help you find other resources who may be better able to assist you with your needs.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

While it is Operation Homefront's wish to meet all assistance requests, requests from ineligible individuals cannot be considered and will delay our ability to assist other, eligibleindividuals.

Operation Homefront will consider applications for assistance for/from individuals who meet the criteria for one of the three eligibility groups below. If you are unsure if you qualify for assistance or have questions about the application, please call 877-264-3968 (toll free). If you are not eligible for OH services, we can help you find other resources who may be better able to assist you with your needs.

Apply only if you fall within one of the following categories and can provide verifying documentation.

All Clients - Documents Required

Proof of all household income (i.e. most recent LES or RAS, civilian pay, disability benefits, etc.)

Wounded, Ill, or Injured Criteria

Actively served in the United States military post-9/11, and

Suffered a post-9/11 wound, illness, or injury in the line of duty (LOD)

Wounded, Ill, or Injured - Documents Required

Line of Duty documentation or other official record of a wound, illness, or injury being sustained in the line of duty.

Deployed Criteria

A service member of rank E1-E6 and one of the following:

Currently deployed to an overseas location and receiving Hostile Fire Pay,

Assigned to a ship that has been at sea for 30+ days and is en route to theater, forward deployed, or otherwise on a mission status - not a training status,

On unaccompanied, overseas PCS orders and receiving Hostile Fire Pay,

or

A National Guard member or Reservist on Title 10 orders (not Title 32) who either:

- Will deploy to an overseas Hostile Fire Pay theater in the next 90 days, or

- Has returned from an overseas Hostile Fire Pay theater within the past 180 days.

Deployed - Documents Required

Copy of deployment orders.

NEW for 2017:

1) Honorable Discharge:

o To be considered for any form of assistance, the Veteran’s character of discharge or service must meet the following conditions: Honorable or General (Under Honorable Conditions)

2) Non-Housing Repair Related Requests:

o For the following categories, applicants MUST BE WITHIN 7 YEARS OF DISCHARGE or active duty deployed with dependents:

o Please note: There is no seven years of discharge requirement attached to this program only.

General

An active duty service member of rank E1-E6 with DEERS-eligible dependents

NOTE: OH is only able to provide food assistance and vision care assistance to individuals in the general eligibility group.

Applicants with a general discharge may be considered by exception.

To qualify as wounded eligible, military discharge must have occurred on (8/14/2011) or later.

Military Service Information

*Can supply medical statement

*Combat Theater

*Date Ship Departed

AW2

WTU

Reservist

National Guard

Activated For Training

State Activated National Guard

Type of Assistance Requested

Auto Payment & Insurance

Auto Repair

How many vehicles are in the household?

Child & Dependent Care

Critical Baby Items

Dental

Essential Home Items

Food Assistance

Repairs are for my primary residence.

Medical

Moving & Relocation

Other

Rent & Mortgage

Travel & Transportation

Utilities

Vision Care

Please Wait...

*

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM OPERATION HOMEFRONT:

Please Note: From midnight on February 22 through midnight on February 28th, the Operation Homefront Critical Financial Assistance application process will be unavailable while we transfer over to a new system.

During this six-day period, we will be unable to accept any new financial assistance applications. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.

The new Critical Financial Assistance application system will be ready to accept new applications on March 1 at (8:00am CST). If you have any questions, please contact us, at info@operationhomefront.org.